Introduction To Psychology

1. Introduction To Psychology

2. What do we hope to gainfrom studying psychology? • Gain insight into the mind • Understanding of people • Understanding yourself

3. So, what is Psychology? • Psychology relies on research to lead to the development of theories about Behavior, Cognition and the question… “Why?” • Scientific study • – Behavior • – Human process (mind) or (cognitive activities) • Greek word means: Psycho = mind or soul • -ology = the study of

4. What is Behavior? • Any action that others can observe and measure: • –Walking • –Talking • –Physical movements, etc.

5. What are Cognitive Activities? • Emotion • – Behavior or mental process • Feelings • Thoughts • Dreams • – Brain waves or privates thoughts • Perception • Memories

6. Observe – Exam, watch, or interview a person’s Behavior Describe – Record specific behavior under certain situations Explain – Give reasons for behavior in terms of feeling of anxiety or distraction Predict – Determine how a person will behave under a certain situation based Control – Change the behavior or mental process by teaching patient new ways of keeping their anxiety under control 5 Goals of Psychology

7. Why Psychology is considered aScience? Social Science – Study the structure, of human society and the nature of the individual in the society. anthropology, history, sociology, & economics Natural Science – Study the nature of the physical world (Brain or mind) must follow scientific research: hypothesis conducting experiment, collecting and analyzing data, draw conclusion.

8. People tend to view psychology primarily as a helping profession – Clinical psychologists, focus on resolving mental health problems – Psychiatrists (M. D.), also licensed to prescribe drugs LUPOSLIPAPHOBIA: The fear of being pursued by timber wolves around a kitchen table while wearing socks on a newly-waxed floor.. The Helping Professions

9. History of the Modern Age

10. SCIENTIFIC APPROACH John Locke (philosopher) – “the mind is a blank slate” – theorized that knowledge is not inborn but is learned from experiences - Human behavior and mental processes should be supported by evidence -In 1800s, psychological laboratories were established in Europe and United States.

11. Philosophy Physiology Psychology How it all started William Wundt

12. Early History Trephine “hollow tubes” Drilled into the skull to peer into the brain Psychology’s Roots

13. Phrenology…Bumps on the head • There was a belief that the bumps on your head represented areas within your brain where a certain skill or feeling might take place.

14. Schools of Thought Gestalt Psychology – “the whole is different from the sum of its parts” • Examples will follow Structuralism – Focused on the basic building blocks of perception, consciousness, thinking, and emotions --Introspection: Self-evaluation and consciously looking within Functionalism – Moved from structure to what the mind does and how behavior functions

15. STRUCTURALISM 1879: Elements of the Mind The study of the most basic elements, primarily sensations and perceptions, that make up our conscious mental experiences, also involves Introspection. – “What are the elements of psychological processes?” This school of thought did not last long.

16. Father of Modern Ψ 1st psychology laboratory (Germany, 1879) Studied simplest mental process (used measures of reaction time) WILHELM WUNDT

17. FUNCTIONALISM 1890: • Functions of the Mind • The study of the function rather than the structure of consciousness; was interested in how our minds adapt to our changing environment; behavioral observations conducted in a laboratory. – “What do certain behaviors and mental processes accomplish for the person?”

18. 1st American born psychologist Wrote “The Principles of Psychology” – 1st modern Ψ textbook Experience is a fluid and continuous “stream of consciousness” may have had the first psychology laboratory in America in 1876 Adoptive Action – Behavior + success = Habit William James

19. Sensation verse Perception Emphasized that perception is more than the sum of its parts and studied how sensations are assembled into meaningful perceptual experiences Basically, your mind is seeking to make sense of the world around it and tries to “fit” the experiences in relation to what is known. See examples. Gestalt Approach 1920s:

20. Max Wertheimer • He is one of several Germans who came up with the concept of Gestalt • Idea that the whole is greater than its parts • He believed that the mind must be studied in terms of large meaningful units instead of the small units of structuralism • Deals with perceptions how we see and understand things • Insight enables the individual to solve problems

22. What do you see in each picture?

23. Psychoanalysis 1900s:A look into the Early Mind The belief that childhood experiences greatly influences the development of later personality traits and psychological problems – people frequently associate this perspective with psychology (the psychodynamic perspective); emphasizes unconscious conflict & past events (early childhood traumas)

24. A Viennese physician One of the most famous psychologists Studied the unconscious to understand behavior – The Interpretation of Dreams Developed Ideas: – Therapy – Internal conflict – Study of impulses, dreams, wishes Sigmund Freud

25. Behaviorism 1950s:Observable Behaviors • Emphasized the objective, scientific • analysis of observable behaviors • Interested in behavior and its precise measurement rather than “consciousness” of Wundt and James

26. established “radical behaviorism” in 1912 in the United States Psychology should be an objective, experimental science Analyze observable behavior, predict and attempt to control those behavior Can teach people to do anything John Watson

27. American, graduated from Harvard Contrasted psychoanalysis Environment factors mold behavior Behavior is reinforced – Reward & Punishment Change behavior through conditioning – similar to Ivan Pavlov B. F. Skinner

28. Leta Stetter Hollingworth – Child development and women’s issues Mary Calkins – First female president of the APA Karen Horney – Social and cultural aspects to personality June Etta Downey – Personality trait theorist Anna Freud – Continue her father work Founding Mother’s ofPsychology